When I was in Rome last summer, I’d visited the birthplace of the Roman Empire, which, at its peak, stretched from Portugal in the west to Mesopotamia in the east, and from North Africa in the south to Britain in the north. The grandeur of the Gladiator films is still present in the Rome of today, albeit in subtler ways. The city, once home to grand temples and palaces, now stands as a patchwork of history. These flourishes of antiquity reveal themselves in the wall mosaics of the Baths of Caracalla, the triumphal arches of the Forum and the Corinthian columns of the Colosseum. Now imagine these rich elements transformed into a statement necklace: a mosaic of memories finding their form in gleaming gemstones and sculpted metal.
This craftsmanship was on display in Dubai, where Bvlgari arrived to showcase its Aeterna high jewellery collection, launched in Rome last year. Given the location, a finely constructed necklace from the Jannah (which means paradise) collection made an appearance, abstracting the floral motifs of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. And of course, the celebrated Serpenti: two snakes guarding a watch face encrusted in a bracelet in one piece, snakes twirled in a way that defies the laws of metalwork on a necklace in another.
Later that evening, accompanied by Mark, my guide, I was educated about the unification process of the seven Emirates, regaled with tales of the sheikh who allowed a sparrow to nest in his Ferrari and even told the secrets hidden in the undulating dunes of the Al Marmoom Desert. We reached the spice souks across Dubai Creek via an open-air wooden boat, locally known as an abra. There were heaps of Iranian saffron, vanilla sticks from Madagascar, Sri Lankan cinnamon and a tea called maca, which the seller claimed has aphrodisiacal properties. At the Jumeirah Archaeological Site, dating back to the 10th century, there were no aphrodisiacs, at least none that seem to have survived the brutal winds of time. Between the glazed pottery and the earthen jars, there were perhaps whispers of stories exchanged by travellers at what was once a caravanserai.
It was a departure from the Roman world of Bvlgari, and speaks in a way to the contrast between the two lands. Rome is older than time, while most of Dubai looks as though it were assembled only weeks ago. Perhaps this juxtaposition is what makes the jewellery sing, as I later discovered in the middle of the Arabian desert, where we were hosted for dinner that evening. The arrangement of our tables mirrored the amphitheatre-like rows of the Colosseum, as if a gladiatorial duel could have begun at any moment.
We were greeted by models wearing pieces from the Aeterna collection, flanking the two pillars. Under the moonless sky, the rubellites they wore glowed. I overheard someone saying, in the thickest Russian accent, that the sparkling stones could form a Morse code yet to be deciphered. When Kareena Kapoor Khan, a friend of the brand, arrived in a resham-embroidered cape over a bodycon dress by Anamika Khanna, it was her Serpenti necklace set with pear spinels, a rubellite and three different cuts of diamonds that stole the spotlight. The guests for the evening provided all the jewellery styling lessons anyone could need, the chicest of them all being a lady wearing a long diamond and white gold Serpenti necklace plunging down her back. At least three guests requested to photograph her and she obliged graciously, her talons clutching a Calla bag throughout.
As the evening grew cooler, we reached for our jackets. Operatic performances, sung in Arabic and Italian, punctuated the three-course meal. The models stood facing us on the amphitheatre steps, equidistant from one another, as if they were welcoming a Roman general fresh from war. In Bvlgari’s world, there are no warriors and no battles to fight. There is, however, a mastery of the serpent motif, with bracelets morphing into watches. With Aeterna, a collection marking 140 years of the brand’s existence, Bvlgari’s quest for eternity continues.
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